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Pereira LDS, Gobbo DR, Ferreira JGP, Horta-Junior JDADCE, Sá SI, Bittencourt JC. Effects of ovariectomy on inputs from the medial preoptic area to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus of young adult rats. J Anat 2021; 238:467-479. [PMID: 32914872 PMCID: PMC7812137 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Puberty is an important phase of development when the neural circuit organization is transformed by sexual hormones, inducing sexual dimorphism in adult behavioural responses. The principal brain area responsible for the control of the receptive component of female sexual behaviour is the ventrolateral division of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMHvl), which is known for its dependency on ovarian hormones. Inputs to the VMHvl originating from the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) are responsible for conveying essential information that will trigger such behaviour. Here, we investigated the pattern of the projection of the MPN to the VMHvl in rats ovariectomized at the onset of puberty. Sprague Dawley rats were ovariectomized (OVX) at puberty and then subjected to iontophoretic injections of the neuronal anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin into the MPN once they reached 90 days of age. This study analysed the connectivity pattern established between the MPN and the VMH that is involved in the neuronal circuit responsible for female sexual behaviour in control and OVX rats. The data show the changes in the organization of the connections observed in the OVX adult rats that displayed a reduced axonal length for the MPN fibres reaching the VMHvl, suggesting that peripubertal ovarian hormones are relevant to the organization of MPN connections with structures involved in the promotion of female sexual behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís da Silva Pereira
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Denise Ribeiro Gobbo
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Susana Isabel Sá
- Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, CINTESIS, Centre for Health Technology and Services Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Nucleo de Neurociencias e Comportamento, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Gobbo DR, Pereira LDS, Ferreira JGP, de Castro Horta-Junior JA, Bittencourt JC, Sá SI. Effects of ovariectomy on the inputs from the medial nucleus of the amygdala to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus in young adult rats. Neurosci Lett 2021; 746:135657. [PMID: 33482312 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
During puberty, sexual hormones induce crucial changes in neural circuit organization, leading to significant sexual dimorphism in adult behaviours. The ventrolateral division of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMHvl) is the major neural site controlling the receptive component of female sexual behaviour, which is dependent on ovarian hormones. The inputs to the VMHvl, originating from the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA), transmit essential information to trigger such behaviour. In this study, we investigated the projection pattern of the MeA to the VMHvl in ovariectomized rats at early puberty. Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and, upon reaching 90 days of age, were subjected to iontophoretic injections of the neuronal anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin into the MeA. Projections from the MeA to the VMHvl and to other structures included in the neural circuit responsible for female sexual behaviour were analysed in the Control and OVX groups. The results of the semi-quantitative analysis showed that peripubertal ovariectomy reduced the density of intra-amygdalar fibres. The stereological estimates, however, failed to find changes in the organization of the terminal fields of nerve fibres from the MeA to the VMHvl in the adult. The present data show that ovariectomized rats during the peripubertal phase did not undergo significant changes in MeA fibres reaching the VMHvl; however, they suggest a possible effect of ovariectomy on MeA connectivity under amygdalar subnuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Ribeiro Gobbo
- Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Departamento de Anatomia, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Lais da Silva Pereira
- Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Departamento de Anatomia, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jozélia Gomes Pacheco Ferreira
- Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Departamento de Anatomia, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
- Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Laboratorio de Neuroanatomia Quimica, Departamento de Anatomia, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil; Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Psicologia, Nucleo de Neurociências e Comportamento, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Susana Isabel Sá
- Department of Biomedicine, Unit of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; CINTESIS, Center for Health Technology and Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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Effects of tamoxifen on neuronal morphology, connectivity and biochemistry of hypothalamic ventromedial neurons: Impact on the modulators of sexual behavior. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 109:33-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2017.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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Sá SI, Fonseca BM. Dynamics of progesterone and estrogen receptor alpha in the ventromedial hypothalamus. J Endocrinol 2017; 233:197-207. [PMID: 28283583 DOI: 10.1530/joe-16-0663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic fluctuations of estradiol and progesterone in females influence neuronal activity in the ventrolateral division of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMNvl), through the activation of progesterone receptors (PRs) and estrogen receptors (ERs). The expression of ER and PR in the VMNvl is influenced by their cognate ligands and is a central upstream trigger in the pathway of VMNvl-dependent modulation of endocrine responses. By studying the role played by estradiol and progesterone in PR and ERa expression in the VMNvl along the estrous cycle and how the two receptors interact in the same neuron, we aim to evaluate the synergistic action of both ovarian hormones in the regulation of VMNvl activity. In animals at all phases of the estrous cycle, the number of VMN neurons expressing PR or ERa was estimated by stereological methods, and the percentage, and rostro-caudal distribution, of neurons simultaneously expressing both receptors was determined. The highest number of PR-immunoreactive neurons was seen at proestrus, and of ERa-immunoreactive neurons was seen at proestrus and metestrus. The ERa/PR co-localization is increased at caudal levels. Approximately half the neurons expressing PR co-express ERa, a proportion that stays constant along the estrous cycle. The percentage of ERa neurons co-expressing PR changes from 60% at proestrus to 40% at metestrus. Fluctuations in circulating ovarian hormone levels promote coordinated changes in PR and ERa expression and co-localization. This may be an important mechanism in the regulation of input relayed by the VMNvl, allowing a precise modulation of endocrine responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana I Sá
- Department of BiomedicineUnit of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of MedicineCenter for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bruno M Fonseca
- UCIBIOREQUIMTE, Department of Biological Sciences, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Lewis DA, Glausier JR. Alterations in Prefrontal Cortical Circuitry and Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia. NEBRASKA SYMPOSIUM ON MOTIVATION. NEBRASKA SYMPOSIUM ON MOTIVATION 2016; 63:31-75. [PMID: 27627824 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-30596-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Javitt DC, Sweet RA. Auditory dysfunction in schizophrenia: integrating clinical and basic features. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16:535-50. [PMID: 26289573 PMCID: PMC4692466 DOI: 10.1038/nrn4002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder that is associated with persistent psychosocial disability in affected individuals. Although studies of schizophrenia have traditionally focused on deficits in higher-order processes such as working memory and executive function, there is an increasing realization that, in this disorder, deficits can be found throughout the cortex and are manifest even at the level of early sensory processing. These deficits are highly amenable to translational investigation and represent potential novel targets for clinical intervention. Deficits, moreover, have been linked to specific structural abnormalities in post-mortem auditory cortex tissue from individuals with schizophrenia, providing unique insights into underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Javitt
- Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 21, New York, New York 10032, USA
- Program in Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia, Nathan S. Kline Institute, 140 Old Orangeburg Rd, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
| | - Robert A Sweet
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
- VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Research Office Building (151R), University Drive C, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15240, USA
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A Golgi study of the plasticity of dendritic spines in the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus during the estrous cycle of female rats. Neuroscience 2015; 298:74-80. [PMID: 25892700 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol-induced plasticity involves changes in dendritic spine density and in the relative proportions of the different dendritic spine types that influence neurons and neural circuits. Such events affect brain structures that control the timing of neuroendocrine and behavioral processes, influencing both reproductive and cognitive functions during the estrous cycle. Accordingly, to investigate the dendritic spine-related plastic changes that may affect the neural processes involved in mating, estradiol-mediated dendritic spine plasticity was studied in type II cells situated in the ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN) of female, adult rats. The rats were assigned to four different groups (n=6) in function of their stage in the estrous cycle: proestrus, estrus, metaestrus, and diestrus. Dendritic spine density and the proportions of the different spine types on type II neurons were analyzed in the ventrolateral region of the VMN of these animals. Dendritic spine density on primary dendrites of VMN type II neurons was significantly lower in metaestrus than in diestrus, proestrus and estrus (with no differences between these latter stages). However, a significant variation in the proportional density of the different spine types was found, with a higher proportion of thin spines in diestrus, proestrus and estrus than in metaestrus. Likewise, a higher proportion of mushroom spines was seen in diestrus and proestrus than in metaestrus, and a higher proportion of stubby spines in estrus than in diestrus and metaestrus. Very few branched spines were found during proestrus and they were not detected during estrus or metaestrus. The different types of dendritic spines in non-projection neurons of the VMN could serve to maintain greater synaptic excitatory activity when receptivity and estradiol levels are maximal. However, they may also fulfill an additional functional role when receptivity and estradiol decline. To date specific roles of the different types of spines in neural hypothalamic activity during the estrous cycle remain unknown and they clearly deserve further study.
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Hu W, MacDonald ML, Elswick DE, Sweet RA. The glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia: evidence from human brain tissue studies. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014; 1338:38-57. [PMID: 25315318 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A number of studies have indicated that antagonists of the N-methyl-d-aspartate subtypes of glutamate receptors can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms in healthy individuals and exacerbate symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. These findings have led to the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia. Here we review the evidence for this hypothesis in postmortem studies of brain tissue from individuals affected by schizophrenia, summarizing studies of glutamate neuron morphology, of expression of glutamate receptors and transporters, and of the synthesizing and metabolizing enzymes for glutamate and its co-agonists. We found consistent evidence of morphological alterations of dendrites of glutamatergic neurons in the cerebral cortex of subjects with schizophrenia and of reduced levels of the axon bouton marker synaptophysin. There were no consistent alterations of mRNA expression of glutamate receptors, although there has been limited study of the corresponding proteins. Studies of the glutamate metabolic pathway have been limited, although there is some evidence that excitatory amino acid transporter-2, glutamine synthetase, and glutaminase have altered expression in schizophrenia. Future studies would benefit from additional direct examination of glutamatergic proteins. Further advances, such as selective testing of synaptic microdomains, cortical layers, and neuronal subtypes, may also be required to elucidate the nature of glutamate signaling impairments in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Hu
- Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, Morgantown, West Virginia
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Shimogawa Y, Maekawa F, Yamanouchi K. Unilateral lesion increases oestrogen receptor α expression in the intact side of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in ovariectomised rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:258-66. [PMID: 24629021 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2013] [Revised: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
To determine the relationship between the right and left sides of the ventrolateral ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (vlVMN) in regulating the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER)α, the unilateral vlVMN was lesioned and the number of ERα-immunoreactive cells and the ERα mRNA level in the intact side of the vlVMN and arcuate nucleus (ARC) were measured in ovariectomised rats. Twenty-four hours after lesioning, brain samples were collected for analysis of ERα expression by immunohistochemistry and the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The number of ERα-immunoreactive cells in the intact side of the vlVMN but not the ARC in the unilateral lesioned group was significantly higher than that in the control or sham-lesioned group. Expression levels of ERα mRNA in the intact side of the vlVMN but not the ARC in unilateral lesioned rats were significantly higher than those in the sham-lesioned group. Of transcript variants with alternative 5'-untranslated regions (0S, 0N, 0, 0T and E1), the ERα 0 transcript level was significantly increased. These results indicate that unilateral damage of vlVMN induces an increase in ERα in the intact side by increasing ERα transcription in a promoter-specific manner. The findings also suggest the existence of new neuroendocrine control system between the right and left sides for the expression of ERα in the vlVMN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Shimogawa
- Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Behaviour and Environment Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
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Sá SI, Pereira PA, Malikov V, Ferreira IM, Madeira MD. Role of plasma membrane estrogen receptors in mediating the estrogen induction of progesterone receptors in hypothalamic ventromedial neurons. J Comp Neurol 2013; 522:298-307. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Susana I. Sá
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Pedro A. Pereira
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Viacheslav Malikov
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; 4200-319 Porto Portugal
| | - Isabel M.P.L.V.O. Ferreira
- REQUIMTE/Laboratory of Bromatology and Hidrology, Faculty of Pharmacy; University of Porto; 4050-313 Porto Portugal
| | - M. Dulce Madeira
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine; University of Porto; 4200-319 Porto Portugal
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Sá S, Pereira P, Malikov V, Madeira M. Role of estrogen receptor α and β in the induction of progesterone receptors in hypothalamic ventromedial neurons. Neuroscience 2013; 238:159-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Regulation of ERα Protein Expression by 17β-Estradiol in Cultured Neurons of Hypothalamic Ventromedial Nucleus. Neurochem Res 2012; 38:82-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-012-0891-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2012] [Revised: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Glausier JR, Lewis DA. Dendritic spine pathology in schizophrenia. Neuroscience 2012; 251:90-107. [PMID: 22546337 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.04.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 420] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Revised: 03/22/2012] [Accepted: 04/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose clinical features include impairments in perception, cognition and motivation. These impairments reflect alterations in neuronal circuitry within and across multiple brain regions that are due, at least in part, to deficits in dendritic spines, the site of most excitatory synaptic connections. Dendritic spine alterations have been identified in multiple brain regions in schizophrenia, but are best characterized in layer 3 of the neocortex, where pyramidal cell spine density is lower. These spine deficits appear to arise during development, and thus are likely the result of disturbances in the molecular mechanisms that underlie spine formation, pruning, and/or maintenance. Each of these mechanisms may provide insight into novel therapeutic targets for preventing or repairing the alterations in neural circuitry that mediate the debilitating symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Glausier
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Sex Steroid Hormones Regulate the Expression of Growth-associated Protein 43, Microtubule-associated Protein 2, Synapsin 1 and Actin in the Ventromedial Nucleus of the Hypothalamus. J Mol Neurosci 2011; 46:622-30. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-011-9650-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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